03/31/2009
I'm from River Forest, Illinois
Writer Nathan Manske has started a blog called 'I'm from Driftwood' inspired by the story of Harvey Milk, and more specifically, the well-known photo of Milk riding in a San Francisco Gay Pride march carrying a sign that reads "I'm from Woodmere, NY".
Manske writes: "The sign was intended to show how far people came to attend the San
Francisco rally, but it meant something more to me. It meant that there
are gay people in every small town and every big city across America
and the world. I was thinking about that photo in between assaults on
the snooze button and I responded to Harvey’s sign. I’m from Driftwood. There are gay stories from every corner of the Earth and I think they should be told. But why? What does it mean??
To the gay teens struggling to come out and deal with their
sexuality, who to this day still attempt suicide 4 times more than
straight kids, it says 'you are not alone.' Other people have dealt
with similar situations, families, communities and churches, and have
overcome and are now living happy lives. It can happen for you, too. It
gets soooo much better, I promise."
To that end, "I'm from Driftwood" features submitted stories (accompanied by satellite photos of the writer's location) written by gay people from all over in the hopes that struggling teens won't feel so alone.
I'm from Driftwood [official site]
*note - the headline is where I grew up, though I haven't quite had the time to pen a story.
Posted 12:34 PM EST by Andy Towle in Gay Youth, Harvey Milk, News | Permalink
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I'm from Berkeley Springs, WV... Now in Seattle.
Posted by: Rod S. | Mar 31, 2009 1:04:56 PM
I live in Oak Park and grew up in Elmwood Park, right next door!
Posted by: Joe | Mar 31, 2009 1:10:09 PM
I'm from Katy, TX.
Posted by: Eric | Mar 31, 2009 1:15:00 PM
I'm actually almost from Woodmere, NY.
Shoutout to Temple Hillel. They give great weddings.
Posted by: Joe Bua | Mar 31, 2009 1:17:55 PM
I'm from Decatur, Illinois, now in Chicago.
Posted by: Terry | Mar 31, 2009 1:21:07 PM
Brilliant idea, Nathan Manske!
And I'm from Damascus, Georgia
Posted by: Brad Willis | Mar 31, 2009 1:27:17 PM
I am from a town so small (south of Albuquerque, New Mexico) that if you knew it, we would be related. We did not have even one traffic light and only one intersection.
The town consists of just my family and the cows. Among my sixty first cousins (on that one side of the family) there are five gay men and two lesbians. I am sure that there are many more among the two hundred great-grandchildren de mis abuelos.
Hey, what can I say? Lots of land, little farming and ranching during the winter, and we did not get television until the early sixties--and even then, only one channel. And yet, I was named for my Mother's favorite opera character and "lettered" in Ballet (according to my Dad). My siblings were among the few that "escaped" to the big city, an ever-lasting familial shame; most of my huge extended family still live in the tiny town in which we grew up.
Posted by: rudy | Mar 31, 2009 1:32:50 PM
I'm from Enid, OK; now in NYC
Posted by: Chris V | Mar 31, 2009 1:37:23 PM
I am from Traverse City, Michigan and live in Tucson, Arizona. Traverse City has a small gay bar, the only one in northern Michigan.
Posted by: homer | Mar 31, 2009 1:58:16 PM
Good on him!
I'm from Mill Creek, Washington.
Posted by: KJ | Mar 31, 2009 2:05:01 PM
I'm originally from Braintree, Massachusetts. Now I live in Chicago, but did live in Oak Park, IL for a few years and hung out in River Forest quite a bit.
Posted by: tegs | Mar 31, 2009 2:31:18 PM
I'm from Sulphur, Louisiana. Now in Los Angeles, California.
Posted by: Bruce | Mar 31, 2009 2:40:46 PM
I'm from Oak Park, right next door. Now I live in Los Angeles.
Posted by: Jon | Mar 31, 2009 2:43:59 PM
I'm from Takoma Park, MD.
Posted by: JeffRob | Mar 31, 2009 2:52:27 PM
Born Portsmouth, VA. Grew up in Clay, NY. Currently in College Park, MD (hello to my "neighbor" JeffRob).
Posted by: Paul | Mar 31, 2009 3:07:24 PM
Ditto. I'm also from River Forest. woot.
Posted by: Ben | Mar 31, 2009 4:04:06 PM
Born in Timonium, MD, but I've lived in Laurel, MD for so long I say I'm from there.
Posted by: Matt | Mar 31, 2009 5:12:16 PM
I am from a tiny town in Illinois called Paxton. When I came out in the early 80's the nearest gay bar is in Champaign Urbana called Chester Street , and is still open today. Ah the memories. I now live in a tiny town called Lucedale in Mississippi. Always liked the simple life.
Posted by: Ken Atkins | Mar 31, 2009 5:35:13 PM
I'm from Long Beach, Mississippi,
and a couple of years ago as a sad teenager I surely could have used a heavy dose of being told 'it gets better'. Great for them!! After being in NYC for a bit I'm actually itching to stay longer each time I go back home...
Posted by: Minghuang | Mar 31, 2009 6:31:22 PM
I'm from Recife, Brazil, but have lived in Virginia 99% of my life. :-P
Posted by: liz templin | Mar 31, 2009 7:09:07 PM
I'm from Cornwall, ON, Canada
Posted by: gay grammar | Mar 31, 2009 9:12:26 PM
I'm from Galveston, TX - but I live in Philadelphia, PA now.
Posted by: Patrick | Mar 31, 2009 9:56:25 PM
I'm from Stone Park, IL but now in Las Vegas, NV.
Posted by: Jakatax | Apr 1, 2009 1:50:32 AM
I'm from a town that no longer exists. Andytown Florida was completely wiped out when a new expresway was built across the Florida Everglades. Not one building or piece of old roadway exists due to the huge cloverleaf put in where our town was located. So should you use the "Allagator Alley" (Highway 75) slow down on the big overpass at Highway 27 and look down to the south side; That is where it was.
Today I live in another small town, Satsuma Florida; its not really a town as its not incorporated or anything like that. There is a Post Office, the fire station, a gas station convienience store, a restaurant (with seating for 28)and one redlight where the road to the river meets the 2 lane highway. If the speed limit sign did not make you slow down you would miss it entirely. The best part is that like almost all small towns, people are friendly.
Posted by: Bear | Apr 1, 2009 11:14:08 AM